SHOUTcast Blog

The Ipanemas, called "Brazil's greatest Afro-bossa band" by the Evening Standard and hailed as being "as good as Buena Vista Social Club" by GQ, will release 'Que Beleza,' their fifth album for the Far Out label (and only their sixth in their 47-year history), on June 14. The Afro-bossa band, according to a press release, "conjures up wickedly rich and charm laden vintage sambas" on the new release. The band includes three generations of Rio de Janeiro musicians, including the last surviving original member of the band, which formed in 1963: 75-year-old percussionist Wilson Das Neves. A special guest vocalist, Aurea Martins, also appears on the album, which is dedicated to guitarist Neco, an original member who died prior to the recording.

A new report on global music sales states that, despite an overall decline of 7.2% in global music sales in 2009, Brazil experienced an uptick in sales to the tune of 0.5%. An article in the trade publication 'MusicWeek' says that while sales in the United States and Japan were hit the hardest (down 10.7% and 10.8%, respectively), some countries, including Brazil, Australia, South Korea, Sweden, India and Mexico, reported gains. Total worldwide revenue for music last year was approximately $17 billion. Sales of physical product, i.e., CDs and vinyl, plunged by some 12.7% while digital sales were up by 9.2%. Piracy was a major factor in the decline of sales worldwide, according to the report. The sales statistics were calculated by the IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry).

Bossabrasil, an annual Brazilian music festival, returns to New York City's Birdland on June 8-12, starring vocalist Emilio Santiago and guitarist/songwriter Marcos Valle. Accompanying them will be Sergio Brandao (bass and musical director), Ernesto Simpson (piano), Klaus Mueller (drums) and Café (percussion). Launched in 2007, and produced by Pat Philips and Ettore Stratta, Bossabrasil is a celebration of bossa nova and the rhythms of Brazil.

A new album featuring music from Cirque de Soleil's 'Ovo,' written by Brazilian composer and producer Berna Ceppas, is out today, April 27, on Cirque de Soleil's own label. Produced by Ceppas and Alain Vinet, the CD features 16 tracks, and "brings together diverse Brazilian samba sounds and intermingles them with electronic beats." A press release further states that the album "takes the listener through chill-out melodies and yet energized butterfly flights: imagine hearing sampled insect sounds from the Amazon, big band flair and percussion-heavy rhythms from the carnival streets of Rio de Janeiro, and crisp electronic music from cool white Montreal winters."

'Ovo' is currently playing at the Grand Chapiteau on Randall's Island in New York City. The name means egg in Portuguese.

Cibelle, the Rio de Janeiro-born vocalist whose latest album, 'Las Venus Resort Palace Hotel' (Crammed Discs), will be released April 27, has scheduled several European tour dates that will take her from Paris and on into Belgium, Germany, Spain, England and Portugal.

The singer, who currently lives in London, was born in 1978 and released her debut album in 2003. Cibelle first came to attention as the main vocalist on the late Suba's cult 'São Paulo Confessions' album.

Tour dates follow the jump.

Brazilian vocalist Joyce Moreno, known professionally by her first name only until 2009, will release her latest CD, 'Aquarius,' on the U.K.'s Far Out label on May 3 (following an exclusive Japanese release in 2009), and plans a tour of her homeland and several dates in the United States to support the album. 'Aquarius' also features bossa nova piano legend João Donato. A press release describes the album as "a beautifully understated and utterly infectious collaboration between two of Brazilian music's greatest stars." Moreno has been a fixture on the Brazilian music scene since the late 1960s, and her big breakthrough came in 1980 with the release of her album 'Feminina.'

Tour dates follow the jump.

New York's Museum of Modern Art will present five different Brazilian ensembles in July, in conjunction with MOMA's premiere Brazil! 2010 film exhibition, for the second year in a row. The 'MOMA NIghts' series will feature samba, bossa nova and forró styles. Although the featured performers will not be announced until mid-May, MOMA said that the performances will be organized in collaboration with music producer and filmmaker Béco Dranoff. All performances will take place on Thursday nights, and the museum will remain open until 8:45. The performances will take place in the Sculpture Garden, with two sets at 5:30 and 7:00 p.m.